Ranking the Greatest Rugby World Cup Semi-Final Moments

The Rugby World Cup 2015 will break more new ground this weekend when it stages the tournament's first semi-final lineup made entirely of southern-hemisphere teams.

London's Twickenham is braced for two thunderous matches as South Africa play defending champions New Zealand on Saturday, followed by Argentina's mouth-watering clash against Australia a day later.

In a competition that has already entertained greatly, fans can only hope the semi-finals add to an already-thriving collection of World Cup memories.

Before we move into the penultimate round of the 2015 contest, we take a look at some of the best semi-final moments in World Cup history, featuring equal contribution from northern- and southern-hemisphere nations.

6. Huw Richards' Knockout Double Whammy, 1987

Those unfamiliar with rugby's intricacies sometimes brand it a brute's game, a sport where almost anything and everything is allowed, but that has never been the case—and certainly not in the 1987 World Cup.

Former Wales lock Huw Richards holds the unenviable honour of being the first person to be sent off at a Rugby World Cup following his involvement in a fracas with New Zealand during the inaugural tournament.

What was so bizarre about this dismissal, however, is that, seconds after clocking All Blacks lock Gary Whetton, Richards was promptly socked—and seemingly knocked out—by Wayne Shelford, who rose to his team-mate's defence.

Not only had Richards been embarrassed in front of a Brisbane audience, but he came to his senses only to be sent off as Wales fell to the eventual World Cup winners, 49-6.

The second row's outburst most certainly did not seem worth it.

5. France Revolt Against New Zealand, 1999

In drastic contrast to the quarter-final we saw play out at the Millennium Stadium last Saturday, France once pulled off an almighty upset against New Zealand, when, in 1999, it was them playing the role of tormentors.

The Jonah Lomu hype train was full of steam, and the favourites, New Zealand, were well on course to beating Les Bleus with a 24-10 lead after 46 minutes of play—and that's where the revolution got underway.

Then coached by Jean-Claude Skrela, the French were led by the boot of fly-half Christophe Lamaison, but it was second-half tries from Christophe Dominici, Richard Dourthe and Philippe Bernat-Salles that resulted in 33 unanswered points coming for the Europeans.

France had claimed the Six Nations' wooden spoon in 1999, and they weren't expected to go very far at the World Cup, never mind make a final.

However, a limp finish from the All Blacks—something unheard of today—saw them fall to a 43-31 defeat, and one of the greatest comebacks in the tournament's history was cemented.

4. David Campese Ignores Haka Before Dazzling All Blacks, 1991

The old adage goes that there's a fine line between genius and insanity, a divide once traipsed by the always-controversial David Campese in the 1991 semi-final after he chose to ignore New Zealand's Haka.

As tradition goes, teams usually survey the All Blacks' war dance politely, either through respect or reverence, but Campese clearly wasn't content with the drama and chose to practice his kicking instead.

The Wallabies' wing was a flamboyant figure who did little to follow trends, but the twist on this occasion was that it actually appeared to have the desired effect as far as the semi-final went.

Campese scored his seventh Test try against New Zealand on that day in the 16-6 win before setting up centre Tim Horan for a superb second, clearly unfazed by the All Blacks' stature, perhaps even thanks to his earlier ignorance.

It's a fervently debated topic today as to whether New Zealand should be permitted to perform the Haka, but perhaps more players may follow Campese's line of thinking in not feeling obligated to watch the ritual.

3. Stephen Larkham's Last-Gasp Drop Goal, 1999

Scoring a drop goal at international level is a big achievement. Slotting one in a Rugby World Cup semi-final is even bigger. But for ex-Wallabies out-half Stephen Larkham to bag his first international drop goal with a 48-metre stunner in the final four against South Africa in 1999 beggars belief.

What's even more incredible is the Brumbies stalwart sent the effort over with six minutes remaining in extra-time, meaning his legs had already had to endure 94 minutes of Springboks' torment at this point.

The two teams were level at 21-21 when Larkham stepped up in a massive way for his team, taking the fixture by the horns, before an eighth and final Matthew Burke penalty put the finishing touches on their 27-21 win.

The Wallabies would go on to clinch the 1999 World Cup with a decisive 35-21 victory against France in the final, but this went down as the real test of their title campaign, which they took thanks to their commanding No. 10.

Next to Jonny Wilkinson's last-gasp winner in 2003, this is probably the best-known drop goal in World Cup history, and the best thing is it looked as though it could have even grabbed another 10 metres.

2. Serge Blanco Puts France in the Inaugural Final, 1987

One of the greatest tries in Rugby World Cup history saw France legend Serge Blanco dump Australia out of the inaugural tournament with a team triumph their present-day counterparts could only dream of.

With the scores poised at 24-24 heading into the final minutes of their 1987 semi-final, Les Bleus and the Wallabies looked braced for extra-time at Sydney's Concord Oval.

But the Europeans mustered a move that originated deep in their own half and went through the hands of 11 different players before Blanco was found in space to dart over for a match-winning score.

Pre-tournament favourites Australia had no time to recover from such a late hit, and France advanced with a 30-24 win in the Wallabies' own backyard.

1. Jonah Lomu Makes His Mark Against England, 1995

It's regarded as the birthplace of Jonah Lomu as the phenomenon we now know him to be, but at no point in the 1995 Rugby World Cup was the New Zealander more dominant than during the semi-final win over England.

Arguably the All Blacks' most recognisable name, Lomu scored four tries that day in a performance which defied even the odds already stacked in their favour, making some of the northern-hemisphere's elite look like swatted flies.

"Swatted" being the operative word in this context as Lomu bulldozed and trucked his side to a 45-29 victory, along with any other comparison of heavy-goods vehicle that could be likened to a rampaging, 19-stone speedster.

Of course, the All Blacks made for a more complete performance in Cape Town on that day, but Lomu's exploits took the headlines as the then-20-year-old announced himself to the global rugby community.

Tony Underwood, Will Carling and Mike Catt would be able to tell a tale of just how hard Lomu was to stop after getting up to full speed, each bouncing off his thunderous thighs en route to a historic haul of tries.